Pain is complex Pain management is a relatively new specialty of medicine that deals with the evaluation and treatment of people with chronic pain. There are many causes for pain, from very serious issues such as cancer to degenerative diseases, such as arthritis to simple problems such as muscle strains. Pain is too complex to be treated by a patchwork of physicians, none of whom understand the entire disease process from development to resolution. Chronic pain deserves a specialist's attention. Pain Specialists have extra training Most physicians are involved in treating pain but have no formal training in what is essential for long term healing: pain management. Most will rely on a team of other specialists to treat patients or do their best to diagnose and treat. A pain specialist like Dr. Carpentier, however, has the knowledge in several different areas of medicine, including anesthesiology, neurology, neurosurgery, and orthopedics and has completed specialized additional training, specifically in pain medicine. Other factors require a pain specialist Treating pain often involves a complex approach to manage not only the pain itself but such factors as anxiety and/or depression, sleep, and other personal issues, since all of these things affect pain. To begin treatment of your pain, Dr. Carpentier will come up with a comprehensive treatment plan for you, which can include activities such as exercise, medications, injections, surgery and/or counseling. He may even suggest other treatment, physical therapy, and massage or acupuncture. To get at the root cause of your pain early and aggressively The best way to treat your pain is to manage it early and aggressively; however, even if you have been battling pain for years, Dr. Carpentier will provide you with a realistic and truthful evaluation of your situation and design an individual program in order to treat your particular pain. He will give you an honest opinion of what can realistically be done to help ease your pain. It generally takes 4-6 months of aggressive involvement to maximize pain relief.